Brand Jordan Passes the Torch

Published on October 22, 2003.

Unlike Jordan, Jeter can hit.

With Michael Jordan finally, really retired from the NBA, Nike and Wieden + Kennedy/New York are releasing a series of spots to demonstrate that the Jordan brand lives on nevertheless. In three new spots directed by Joe Pytka, we see Jordan morph -- courtesy of effects house Smoke & Mirrors -- into Team Jordan members Warren Sapp, Derek Jeter and Carmelo Anthony, while a voice that starts as Jordan's explains why each is "not Michael Jordan."

"I do not have a lifetime batting average of .202," Jeter explains, for example, before announcing that he is Jordan's "designated hitter." In the post-Mike world, Team Jordan members -- who include Jason Kidd, Gary Payton and Eddie George -- are charged with carrying on "the legacy of professional sports’ most revered athlete and biggest star," according to a Nike statement.